Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Pro'sMy garden is growing like wildfireThe sun is outGoing to work in the morning is soooo much easierGoing shopping has a whole new purposeDining out has a whole new purposeMy cat is lazy and does not meow as much to go outsideIt is summer

Con'sMY FEET STAY ON SWOLE....WHAT AM I, PREGO

I don't believe in complaining...so I will just leave it at one. That one is driving me bonkers.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Hello, hi, how are ya? The blog is back after a looong hiatus. Sorry about that :) So, let me give you a little update on what has been going on in my life.

SUMMER IS HERE.....it is definitely, hands down, my favorite season. I love long days spent outside, BBQ's, sun tans, fire pits, vacations, yard work and the chance for absolutely no chance of rain. Well, except for today, which it is actually comforting because I have nothing to do.

This weekend I traveled to Portland with friends to see Coldplay in concert. I am pretty sure the concert is tied as one of my all time favorite concerts (tied with Ms. Keys, obvi). It was amazing...beautiful weather, a great play list, a rendition of Michael Jackson's Billy Jean sang 20 feet away from me, great friends. What more could a girl want, right?! After the concert, we were wiped out so we went back to the hotel and passed out. We spent the next day shopping in Portland. I have never really hung out in Portland and was pleasantly surprised. We spent the day on Hawthorne Street, weaving in and out of shops, finally settling in the Bridgeport Ale House. One beer and I was a little dazed....strong stuff. We set off for Seattle around 4pm and spent the rest of the evening relaxing.

The 4th of July was spent in our backyard with great friends. My roommate, Kim, celebrated her 30th birthday with bbq, beer, sun and flip cup. About 30 of our friends and family joined in the on the celebration. All of the preparations and work put into the day was well worth it.

Besides the concerts and BBQ's, the rest of the time this summer has been devoted to working in my yard. It has come a LONG way in the last few months and I am enjoying the progress made. There is a long list of "to do's" and this is what we have accomplished so far.

-digging a roof full of shingles out of their shallow grave (grrrr).-tons of tree trimming, weed pulling, and rock digging.-planting, watering and watching my potted garden bloom.-planting flowers, bushes and shrubs.-grinding 3 huge tree stumps.-more rock digging.-staining the deck.-digging up little treasures and more rocks.-piling all the rocks on the side of the house in a little dry river bed formation.-digging up rocks...have I said that before?

I of course am not the one completing most of these items. Kim and my parents have done most of the work. So while I am watching the yard come into it's own, I am also watching their muscles tone. I also can't forget to mention the bathroom remodel. It started about a month ago and it is slowly taking shape. It will be well worth the wait...here is a sneak preview...

Lastly, I have been spending time figuring out how I want to spend my vacation time this summer. I have 3 events planned, starting with the annual Double Day Bike Ride to benefit the ALS Association. If you haven't done it before, you definitely should. It is a two day ride covering 85 miles of the beautiful Skagit Valley. Last year it was amazing to spend the weekend with others living with ALS and families riding in memory of lost loved ones. It definitely brings your spirits up to see so many people riding to support a good cause. If you want to join the team, click on the link and find Mo's Biker Beauties.

Another great event in the works is the first annual Ring Around the Needle pub crawl. This is definitely something you don't want to miss! 5-8 bars around lower Queen Anne, all donating beer and a good time to benefit the Melissa Erickson Foundation. I promise you, you will have fun and feel good about drinking some beer.

I have decided to close out my summer going back to my roots. I will be Denver bound on September 2nd and will have fun showing Jessica around my old stomping ground. It has changed so much, I hope I remember where I am at. I am hoping to have some sort of a fund raiser in Denver, so stay tuned if you are in that area. So far we have a Rockies game on the agenda and will be traveling up to the New Belgium Brewery for a tour. Everything else is up in the air.

So that is about all for me. I will try to keep this thing up to date and not slack off as I have in the last month or two...who's counting :)

ABOUT ME

Donate to ALS TDI

If you would like to donate directly to ALS Therapy Development Institute in honor of Melissa Erickson to help us continue to raise money and awareness for ALS, we thank you. Your tax deductible donations can be made here: Community.als.net/melissaericksonfun

On behalf of myself, my family and all of my friends who have supported me along the way, I send a huge THANKS for your thoughts, prayers and support.
Sincerely,
Melissa Erickson

MORE ABOUT ME

Let me give you all a little background on me. For the first 27 years of my life I was extremely active. I started playing basketball when I was 10 years old. It defined my life and gave me incredible opportunities for which I am most grateful. I earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Washington which enabled me to continue my education. From there I went on to coach and play professionally in Germany and Portugal. Basketball brought me to many countries and gave me immeasurable amounts of pleasure, pride and independence. When I was 25 and in my last season in Portugal, I started to feel very inadequate on the court. I was out of balance, slow and unable to jump as high as normal. I felt that I was just getting old and not training as I used to. I moved back to Seattle and became part of the working world. I continued to play basketball recreationally and go to the gym to work out. My inadequacies continued to progress and soon it became very difficult to play or run on my own.

After a workout at my local gym, my personal trainer informed me that my problems with balance and strength were not normal of a typical 27 year old. So in August of 2006, I started my search for reason. A day before my 28th birthday, doctors told me that there were definite signs of a neuromuscular disease. I was devastated to know that the active life I had lived was in for a drastic change. I currently am unable to walk. I use a power chair and it has increased my independence and mobility so much. Life is easier despite the restrictions of living on wheels.

In 2007, I attended numerous doctors’ appointments in Seattle and Boston, and undergone several tests; doctors continue to lean on the initial diagnosis of ALS. My life has taken many different turns and I have journeyed down a path I never thought existed. However, despite all of the disappointment and setbacks I have learned to view life in a new way. I can truly say that I enjoy the simple things in life. Each day is cherished in a new and inviting way. My family and friends are the very blood that runs through my veins.

On behalf of myself, my family and all of my friends who have supported me along the way, I send a huge THANKS for your thoughts, prayers and support.

Sincerely,

Melissa Erickson

All questions, concerns and donations can be directed to Sarah Duncan, co-founder of the Melissa Erickson Foundation. Sarah can be reached at (425) 339-8556 or sdunc@myuw.net